Last week Marvel Now! kicked off with a bang with the release of Uncanny Avengers #1. In the aftermath of Avengers vs X-Men, the world has changed and the mutant gene has been reactivated. With that a new team of Avengers formed with a mix of classic Avengers and new mutant members like Rogue and Havok. In addition to the new series, Marvel is relaunching most of their lineup with new number 1s with fresh creative teams in the mix.

The merc with the mouth, Deadpool, is one of the series that will be getting a new number one. While he did not beat Deathstroke in our recent head to head match up [SEE: Deathstroke vs Deadpool, Who Would Win?], the assassin is ready to take on giant monsters (see above) and dead presidents in his new title, written by the comedy team of Gerry Duggan, a writer of Attack of the Show!, and comedian/actor Brian Posehn, who appeared in Fox’s horrible Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The art in the series is by Toy Moore, who I think has one of the cleanest and coolest styles. He drew the first few issues of The Walking Dead, which blow away most other titles and helped the book stand out.

DEADPOOL #1
Official Issue Description: Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Deadpool #1, kicking off the all-new ongoing series from the blockbuster creative team of writers & comedians Brian Posehn (The Sara Silverman Program), Gerry Duggan (Attack of the Show!, Infinite Horizon) and superstar artist Tony Moore (The Walking Dead)! Washington, D.C. is in turmoil when dead former U.S. Presidents – from George Washington to Gerald Ford – are resurrected and the heroes of the Marvel Universe can’t be the ones to stop them! There’s only one other person that has the reputation, skills, and plausible deniability to handle these com-monsters in chief…NOW! is the time for Deadpool! In Wade We Trust!

Deadpool #1 hits stands and the digital marketplace in three weeks on November 7th. Are you excited for the new team on the book? Ready for the mix of action, comedy, and gore?

Now that we know that Marvel Studios will be moving forward with a SHIELD television series set in the movie universe we can start to speculate on characters that will be featured in the series. Who is better to start with than the villains?

Red Skull. This pick is likely the most obvious. He was the main villain in Captain America: The First Avenger and his fate was left a bit undetermined (no body means that anything is possible). With his connections to the terrorist organizations such as HYDRA and AIM, Joss Whedon and company would have a lot of possibilities for stories all around the world. The Red Skull could be guiding the other bad guys from the shadows while plotting to get the Cosmic Cube or another device that will help him take over the world and/or get revenge. After his reveal as the big bad, it could lead to an epic season finale that could feature SHIELD turning to Captain America for help (ratings gold!). Another great thing about the Red Skull is that if Marvel can’t get Hugo Weaving to reprise the role for television (or just want to save money) they can easily hire another actor and put him in the make up. Other possibilities are to use one of the Red Skulls that followed Johann Schmidt, such as Albert Malik, or they could even feature Sinthea Schmidt, the daughter and newest version of the Red Skull in the comics.

MODOK or the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing could be SHIELD’s version of Doctor Who’s incredible race of villains, the Dalek. On first glance MODOK looks a bit goofy (rather, he IS a bit goofy) and would need a redesign to work better on TV. He has the right level of intelligence to keep SHIELD on the defense and he could keep things interesting by being a gate way to other villains, such as the Hulk villain Abomination and Black Lama. Just like the Red Skull, MODOK has connections to AIM and the Cosmic Cube.

Ultron. Okay, I know what you are thinking… Ultron is the ultimate Avengers villain, why in the world would you waste him on a SHIELD television series? As seen in the credits (spoiler alert, talking about the end of The Avengers, stop reading or you could be spoiled!) of The Avngers, Thanos was revealed as the big bad behind Loki’s grab for power on Earth and has likely set up him being the main villain for the sequel. That would mean we likely would not see Ultron until a third or forth movie which would bring us to 2019 at the earliest. What a waste of an awesome bad guy. Imagine a pre Ant-Man Henry Pym as a SHIELD scientist who develops Ultron as a weapon for SHIELD to use against the growing thread of supervilalins, but something goes wrong and he inadvertently creates their worst enemy. It could be a great way to introduce the future Avenger while giving SHIELD a villain that they created and need to hunt down and stop before he kills millions of people and starts a war.

What villains would you like to see featured in the possible SHIELD series from Joss Whedon and ABC?

In the comics right now The Avengers are facing off with the X-Men, but come 2015 they might be facing off with the Justice League as both Marvel Studios and Warner Brothers are gearing up new film versions of the beloved superheroes. Fresh news has broken this past week on both properties. Lets start with Marvel…

It is official! Joss Whedon will be returning to write and direct The Avengers 2 for Marvel Studios for release in the summer of 2015. In addition to this very large duty, the fan favorite director will also be developing a television series ele Marvel and ABC that takes place in the Marvel movie universe. All of this is part of an exclusive deal that Whedon signed with Marvel that will extend their working relationship through 2015. Deals like this are very common with comic book writers/artists with publishers and used to be the norm in Hollywood, but these days it is very rare. Who might the television series focus on? Could it be the long in development Hulk show? Or how about Cloak and Dagger? Maybe a series that Whedon took a crack at writing in comic form, like The Runaways? Black Panter, Doctor Strange, Heroes for Hire with Luke Cage and Iron Fist… the possibilities are endless. And if they can get a big screen Avenger to appear during sweeps, you better believe record setting ratings will follow.

Rumors are also swirling that Marvel Studios is negotiating with Fox in regards to the rights of Daredevil and Fantastic Four characters. Fox is looking to extend their rights to make another Daredevil movie, and Marvel is willing to play ball as long as Fox reverts the rights to a few cosmic characters from the Fantastic Four, including Galactus and the Silver Surfer (both of which were butchered in Fox’s awful FF: Rise of the Silver Surfer). We’ll have to wait and see if this is legit. Worse case is that it is not, but in the very least it looks like Marvel will be getting the rights to Daredevil back soon enough.

Over at Warner Brothers, with Man of Steel heading into theaters next summer, the studio is trying push forward to a Justice League film sooner rather than later. Hopefully it will tie into Man of Steel and also connect to the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern. A script has already been written by Will Beall (writer of Gangster Squad and a handful of Castle epsiodes) and Variety reports that the WB is sending it out to Ben Affleck to consider directing and co-starring in it. Deadline Hollywood denies that Affleck has any interest in the project, but this will be a wait and see type of deal. Affleck, who starred in Daredevil and was one of the actors at the top of the list to play Superman for the aborted Tim Burton Superman Lives, could have interest in the genre and Justice League would be the ultimate superhero film. As for which role he’d take? I have no idea…

Marvel Comics is taking a huge step into their next generation of stories with “Marvel Now!” a massive initiative similar to DC Comic’s “New 52”. Unlike DC Comics, Marvel will not be rebooting their universe with new origins and histories, they will be continuing forward with their classic universe while relaunching a ton of ongoing series with new creative teams and designs.

Below is a poster they released for the event, featured on the poster are Spider-Man, Hulk, Jean Grey, Nova, Nick Fury, Captain America, Rocket Raccoo (Guardians of the Galaxy), Wolverine, Ironman, Cyclops, Invisible Woman, Thor, and Cable. Under the poster is Marvel’s official press release for “Marvel Now!”

The most popular characters. The most acclaimed creators. The most ambitious stories. This is Marvel NOW!.

This Fall, the Marvel Universe heads in an exciting all-new direction, as the industry’s top creators join the top super heroes, including Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine and more, to deliver all-new ongoing series, each beginning with issue #1! Marvel NOW! is the culmination of Marvel ReEvolution, the groundbreaking new initiative to evolve the comic book experience through innovation.

It kicks off in October’s UNCANNY AVENGERS #1, from the team of Rick Remender and John Cassaday and continues with jaw-dropping new Marvel NOW! series nearly every week through February.

“There’s never been a better time to check out comics than Marvel NOW!” said Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief, Marvel Entertainment. “This isn’t a reboot or a reimagining—Marvel NOW! is all about looking forward, building on our rich history of great stories and delivering new ideas.”

In UNCANNY AVENGERS #1, the Avengers and X-Men must join forces to overcome the greatest challenge either team has ever faced, one so devastating that neither can afford to do it alone! Can Captain America’s newly assembled team find a way to peacefully co-exist while also dealing with the game-changing repercussions of Avengers Vs. X-Men?

Then in November, Marvel NOW! expands to all corners of the universe with launches including ALL-NEW X-MEN #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen, AVENGERS #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena, on-sale in December, and NEW AVENGERS #1, by Hickman and Steve Epting, on-sale in January 2013.

“We brought fans the biggest comic book event imaginable in Avengers Vs. X-Men and now we’re taking the Marvel Universe to an exciting new place, beginning with Uncanny Avengers #1,” said Tom Brevoort, SVP, Executive Editor, Marvel Entertainment. “If you’re a long-time fan, all the stories you’ve read will give you even more enjoyment of what’s happening now—we’re not abandoning our past. But if you’re a new reader, this is where you’re going to learn just why Marvel comics are unlike anything else you’ve ever read. And no character is left unaffected by Marvel NOW!.”

Every comic book bearing the Marvel NOW! branding includes a code for a free digital copy of that same comic on the Marvel Comics app for iOS and Android devices. Additionally, each issue #1 of Marvel NOW! series features special augmented reality content available exclusive through the Marvel AR app, including cover recaps, behind the scenes features and more that add value to your reading experience at no additional cost.

“This is the natural next step of the Marvel ReEvolution, as we evolve every facet of Marvel publishing,” explained Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer, Marvel Entertainment. “You’ve seen us craft new digital storytelling formats like Marvel Infinite Comics and bring added value to our comics with Marvel AR. Now our print comics leap into the future with a cinematic new look for our covers, exciting new designs for our biggest characters and stories that will send you on the kind of journey you can only get at Marvel.”

This October, Join The ReEvolution as Marvel NOW! kicks off with UNCANNY AVENGERS #1, ushering in a new era for comics and the perfect jumping on point for new readers. The biggest creators bring you the biggest characters in the biggest stories…and it’s happening NOW!

To commemorate the historic release of UNCANNY AVENGERS #1 on Wednesday, October 10, participating retailers can host special advance release parties the night before! That’s right, you can experience the biggest new series launch of the year on Tuesday, October 9 at select retailers, who’ll also have limited edition giveaways exclusive to these events.

For more on Marvel NOW!, join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #MarvelNOW.

With the current television season ending and the idiot box being taking over by summer reality TV, we’ve switched gears at MHD to focus on movies and comic books- with the latter dominating. This piece of news concerns comic books adapted to the small screen.

TV Guide broke the news earlier this week that Marvel would be halting production of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes after the shows second season (which is currently airing). The show is being replaced by two new Marvel animated show, Avengers Assemble (pictured left) and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Both shows will join the Ultimate Spider-Man series and will all share one Universe, with the characters expected to crossover between the shows. All three shows are expected to be put together in a Marvel Comics block on Disney XD (Disney of course owns Marvel).

Avengers Assemble will sport the team from Joss Whedon’s Avengers movie; Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the Hulk, along with the new addition of the Falcon. The look and feel of the series will be more serious than Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The cast in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. will focus on Hulk, She-Hulk, Red Hulk, Skaar, and A-Bomb. Both new shows will start in 2013. Will you be watching? Are you disappointed about Marvel canceling Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? Let us know in the comments!

With The Avengers movie ruling the box office, it is no surprise that a new video game is on the way from Marvel and Ubisoft for Xbox 360 Kinect and Nintendo’s Wii U. The game, Avengers: Battle for Earth is based on the popular “Secret Invasion” storyline which saw the alien Skrulls invade earth while impersonating various Marvel heroes causing The Avengers to not know who they could trust.

The game will feature more than 20 characters. So far they have announced Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, Magneto, Spider-Man, Storm, Thor, Wolverine and Venom being in the mix. Each of the playable heroes and villains are equipped with four unique powers that you use different movements to trigger the attacks. Game modes include campaign, co-op, arcade, challenges, versus, and tournament. As you can see in the picture above, the game is done in a cartoony style inspired b the actual “Secret Invasion” storyline.

Official description: The Skrulls have landed and now it is up to you to embody your favorite Marvel super heroes and defeat epic enemies during the Secret Invasion. Unleash your inner superhero in Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth!.

An announcement trailer for am all new Sim City has been released and words can not express how excited I am about it. Now if I’ll be able to find the actual time to play it is another story altogether.

While on the subject of simulations, Hollywood the Game is going as strong as ever. The game is completely open ended and player run. You start off in the slums of Hollywood with 500k in your pocket and you decide how you will play. Do you want to fight to become a movie studio head or a network executive for a television network? Open a creative company? Become a critic? Journalist? The possibilities are endless.

Avengers mania is reaching new highs as we inch closer to the mega superhero team up film that no one thought was possible to get together. Apple has posted a bunch of new exclusive videos. Check them out here. Will you be doing the epic Marvel marathon of all the past movies followed by Avengers in 3d?

After the short lived Mr. Sunshine and the cut off too soon Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Matthew Perry is being given another chance with a new show on NBC. Go On co-stars Julie White and Suzy Nakamura, with Perry as a sportscaster who uses group therapy to try to move on from a loss. White portrays a member of his group who is stuck in the anger state of grief.

A preview has been released for the Smallville Season 11 online comic series. The panels are a look at Lois and Clark’s relationship 6 months after the series finale. Give them a look.

Working on a new project? Heading up a company? Don’t forget Go Green Electricity. Keep your pollution to a minimum.